Necklace clasp



Nov. 7, 1967 w. w. HESTER 3,350,153

NECKLACE CLASP Filed Dec. 29, 1965 Fig. 4

Fig.7

' INVENTOR.

WESLEY W. HESTER United States Patent 3,350,753 NECKLACE CLASP Wesley W. Hester, 4749 Lorraine Drive, San Diego, Calif. 92115 Filed Dec. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 517,224 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-239) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The necklace clasp embodies a catch unit and a coacting link for the other end of the necklace, the catch unit having a plunger which is recti-cylindrical in its shank portion, thus being more cheaply and expeditiously manufactured and assembled into the body of the catch unit, a simple annular flange on the plunger confronting a hook on the catch unit. The link has a concave face for non-slip engagement with the annular flange on the plunger.

The present invention relates to jewelry and specifically to a necklace clasp.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a necklace clasp which is easily engaged and disengaged by a simple pressing action, the two interfitting parts being designed to engage positively even if the parts are not accurately aligned. This facilitates fastening of the clasp behind the neck when the parts are not visible and makes it feasible to use a small clasp, since there are not buttons, catches, or other devices to be opened with the fingers, either in fastening or unfastening the clasp.

Another object of this invention is to provide a necklace clasp which is extremely simple in construction and is not prone to jamming or disassembly in use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a necklace clasp which is compact and esthetically pleasing, in keeping with the decorative nature of its use.

A further object of this invention is to provide a necklace clasp which is adaptable for connection to a variety of chains, cords, or other neckles elements used in necklace construction.

The clasp and its action are illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the two clasp elements separated;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view, partially cut away, of the assembled clasp;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the clasp showing the simple engaging or disengaging action and indicating misalignment of the elements;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3, showing an alternative cross sectional shape;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation view of a modified form of the catch element; and

FIGURE 7 is an end elevation view as taken from the left end of FIGURE 6.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawing.

The clasp, as illustrated in FIGURES 1-4, comprises two parts, a catch element 10 and a link 12 for attachment to opposite ends of a necklace or similar article. Catch element 10 has a body 14 with a closed end '16 on which is an eye 18 for attachment to a necklace, the other end 20 of said body being open and a longitudinal bore 22 extends from the end 20 towards the closed end 16.

The body is illustrated as being rectangular in cross section with a rectangular bore 22 but other configurations may be used as will be hereinafter apparent. On

3,350,753 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 one side of body 14 is an arm 24 extending longitudinally beyond the open end 20 and having a return rolled hook 26 with a tip 28 spaced from the open end of the body. Slidably mounted in bore 22 is a plunger 30 biased outwardly by a spring 32 to bear against tip 28 and close the hook 26. The end of plunger 30 at the tip 28 has a projection or flange 34 projecting laterally therefrom on the side remote from arm 24.

Link 12 is substantially flat and has a loop portion 36 with a transverse end bar 38 closing one end and an eye 40 at the other end for attachment to a necklace. The outer edge of end bar 38 has a concave contact face 42, which enables the link easily to be held in engagement with the catch element without slipping.

To fasten the clasp the link 12 is pressed against plunger 30 wit-h the concave contact face 42 engaging flange 34, as in FIGURE 4. Due to the concavity of the contact face and the projection of the flange, the link will remain in place Without slipping, even if the link is angularly offset from the catch element to a considerable degree. A direct pressing action against spring 32 will retract plunger 30 sufiiciently to allow end bar 38 to slip into the hook 26, when the plunger will be extended by the spring to close the hook. This simple pressing action and self-aligning and retaining feature of the concave end of the link make it a simple matter to fasten the clasp unseen, as behind the neck.

To disconnect the clasp the link 12 is merely pressed against plunger 30 until the plunger is retracted sufficiently to allow the end bar 38 to clear hook tip 28, when the link can slide outward across the end. of the plunger. Again the concave face 42 will ensure that the link remains in contact with the plunger for a proper pressing action, even though the two elements may be misaligned.

The rectangular body and plunger are utilized to prevent rotation of the plunger and thus ensure proper projection of the flange 34 for engagement by the link. If it is desired to use a circular cross section body for esthetic purposes, as at 44 in FIGURE 5, the bore 46 may be basically circular with a flat portion 48, the plunger 50 being correspondingly shaped to prevent rotation.

A further alternative is illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7, in which the plunger 52 has a radially extending disclike annular flange 54 and no attempt is made to prevent rotation.

Arm 56 is offset slightly to provide clearance for the flange and the body 58 may be of any configuration desired. All other features are as described for the catch element 10. Since the flange 54 extends equally from the plunger in any radial direction, a portion of the flange will always project beyond the hook for engagement by the link 12.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

A necklace clasp, comprising:

a catch element and a link;

said catch element having a body with means at one end for attachment to a necklace;

a plunger slidably mounted in the other end of said body and having an end extended outwardly from the body;

a hook member fixed on said body with the open portion of the hook toward said plunger;

said plunger being biased to move toward said hook member and to bear against and to close said hook member;

3 4 said link having a portion at one end for attachment References Cited to a necklace, and a loop portion at the other end for UNITED STATES PATENTS engagement on said hook;

said 100p portion having a concave end face for enizggi n gagement With the extended end of said plunger, said 5 712955 11/1902 parslgy extended end having a disc-like annular flange projecting laterally from the plunger beyond said hook FOREIGN PATENTS for engagement with said concave end face, whereby 411,715 6/1934 Great Britain.

pressure of said link against the plunger retracts the plunger to admit said loop portion into the hook 10 WILLIAM FELDMAN P Exammermember. DONALD A GRIFFIN, Examiner. 

